In food as in non-food, the Natexpo exhibitors are doubling their inventiveness to formulate new products from downgraded foodstuffs, co-products, or raw materials destined to be thrown away. No more unsold items without a solution, no more unnecessary packaging: this is the credo of these Brands who kick the anthill!
Zero-waste innovations from Natexpo exhibitors
On the bathroom side, Apimani manufactures toothbrushes and has also created a magnetic soap dish and many other accessories such as solid toothpastes, a soap-saving bag, etc. Their goal? To design healthy and simple products and accessories for everyday use. Launching: shaving accessories with a shaving brush and a razor, and a textile part made in France entirely designed by reusing fabric scraps. The range will be unique and therefore limited, depending on the raw materials available as well as the colors.
Upcycled cosmetics are also the credo byYIFIXIA which, on the upstream side of the sector, develops cosmetic ingredients from agri/agro co-products. They are the leading supplier from the Social and Solidarity Economy. The company also offers a support service for the valorization of co-products for companies and processors for the creation of high added-value ingredients.
Food side, In extremis recovers raw materials that will be thrown away to make new food products. In 2023, they won the Natexpo Gold Trophy in the Beverages category with their chocolate infusion made from recycled cocoa pods and apple pomace. This year, they are launching their range of breakfast biscuits, combining indulgence, nutritional balance and the circular economy.
The cannery Local in a Jar transforms sorting waste from organic farmers in Provence into vegetable preserves, to revalue unsold items from the sector, always in season with a constantly evolving range.
The brand Natural Andes recovers the nuts damaged during shelling, usually downgraded. The Amazonian nut is then re-cut and coated in fair-trade dark chocolate.
Still in the gourmet section, the Emile Group unveils its Cocoa Hazelnut spread, using the oilcake flour recovered during oil extraction. A virtuous idea: the product is Natexpo 2024 Gold Trophy in the Sweet Grocery Products category.
Dietary supplements can also be upcycled. What can be done with often-neglected eggshells? Rich in nutrients, they are used by The Bio Brothers to make "Coolagène": a combination of collagen, hyaluronic acid, elastin and glucosamine, to promote the elasticity and regeneration of skin and connective tissues. Natexpo welcomes the idea: the product is Natexpo 2024 Gold Trophy in the Food Supplements category.
Giving packaging a new lease of life is also a challenge, given that only 24,5% of plastic packaging thrown away by households is recycled.[1]
Machines B:Bot transform plastic bottles into glitter before your eyes, with the guarantee that 100% of the bottles are recycled. And for each recycled bottle, the consumer earns a few euros. The company aims to double the number of B:Bots, install an additional module for cans, and also provide a mobile application that makes it easier for users to get started with the B:Bot. Great developments in perspective!
[1] Source: Citeo, 2024 https://www.citeo.com/le-mag/les-chiffres-du-recyclage-en-france